Food Security Threat in Bangladesh Due to Climate Change
Abu Baker :: In recent years the impacts of climate change have been quite evident in Bangladesh. It has been affecting on the biodiversity and lifestyle of Bangladeshi people. Not only that, the agro production has also been under heavy threat. By this way the food production is decreasing and it has made tensed the Bangladesh Government (GoB).
Climate experts said, salinity of the soil in the coastal belt of Bangladesh has been rising up. In recent past and the agro production has been disrupted due to the salinity. Huge quantity of farmland has already gone under sea water due to rise of sea level. Sometimes drought and sometimes over-rain also disrupting the agro production in this country. Experts assume, these are happening as a result of global warming and climate change.
Regarding the disruption of agricultural production and food safety due to climate change, Food and Disaster Management Minister Dr. Md. Abdur Razzak said that Bangladesh will be the worst of climate change. As Bangladesh is a agriculture oriented country the agricultural production and food safety will under threat due to the impact of climate change, he said adding that but the government has been emphasizing on developing agricultural technology which can adapt with the climate change.
Environment and climate expert, Vice Chancellor (VC) of BRAC University Dr. Ainun Nishat said, the agriculture of Bangladesh mainly depends on nature, environment and climate. But recently the nature has been behaving negatively, which has been evident in last few years, he added. It would be a great harmful for our agriculture.
According a study of World Bank (WB), 60 per cent of the people of Bangladesh live the rural areas. They are directly-indirectly dependent on agriculture. As a result, the lives and lifestyle will be under threat, poverty and different social insecurity is likely to go up if the negative impacts of climate change can not be resisted.
An Inter-governmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) has conducted a study on rise of sea level and salinity and projected that in between 2025, 2050 and 2100 the sea level may rise by 14 cm, 32 cm and 88 cm respectively. The evidences of rise in the sea level in the coastal areas have been found in deferent studies.
From the data recorded by Bangladesh Water Development Board it is found that the sea level rose by 5.6 mm at Hiron Point of Sundarbans, 1.4 mm at Laboni point of Cox’s Bazar and 2.9 mm at Khepupara point of Patuakhali only in 2008. The sea level is rising almost in same rate every year though the government does not have any latest data.
Expert assume that a huge portion of the Bangladesh will go under sea water which will make agriculture and farming of domestic animals difficult if the projections of IPCC come true. A decreased amount of farmland for huge population will affect the food security.
